Emotional support dog found after being missing at Cougar Reservoir

By Noah Chavez

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    EUGENE, Oregon (KEZI) — Mikayla Dodge and her emotional support dog, Ember, are trying to move forward from what could have been a nightmare scenario. Ember went missing in the woods near Cougar Reservoir for three days after being startled by a squirrel.

Dodge said she and her friends were taking a trip out to the reservoir which sits just south of the community of Blue River. When they went to let the dogs have a bathroom break at the bottom of the mountain, the nightmare began.

“We had stopped to let them go potty and she saw a squirrel and decided to take chase and she bolted up the road,” Dodge said. “My mind went straight to panic mode because of all the cougars up there taking all the animals… I was really terrified I wasn’t going to see her again.”

Cut off from cell service, the situation worsened when a good Samaritan was able to catch Ember. However, Ember broke free again, and vanished into the woods without a trace. over the next three days, Forest Rangers and Blue River community members searched up and down Aufderheide Drive where Ember was last seen. While dealing with another family emergency, Dodge got the news that Ember was spotted six miles away from where she went missing. Dodge said when she drove back up to the reservoir it was an emotional time for her.

“I got down and started yelling baby girl come here, and the moment I did that her ears picked up and started screaming bloody murder,” Dodge said. “Like she’s running to me… it was a very great reunion to have her back.”

Losing a considerable amount of weight, Ember has since tried regaining her normal body weight along with her spirit. Dodge said Ember came down from the mountain a changed dog.

“Since I got here, she’s just been growling at everybody and she’s never been one to just growl at people, she’s always been super friendly,” Dodge said. “I’m sure that the whole ordeal up there traumatized her.”

Since the incident, Dodge feels more than ever how quickly a situation can change when dealing with animals in the wilderness. With the season’s changing, Dodge said animal owners need to be more attentive.

Dodge said she can’t express enough thanks and gratitude for all of the rangers and people who helped search for a dog they didn’t even know. She knows without their help, Ember could have stayed lost or worse.

“I’m eternally grateful to have such amazing people help me in ways I never thought I would,” Dodge said. “I really didn’t think I was going to get that much help in that aspect of finding her and truthfully I was beyond baffled. I was very grateful, I’ve never seen so many people come together to help find someone’s animal.”

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